The Soldier of Stars [1] - Band of Brothers

3 | the springfield rifle

" A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."

- Albert Einstein

✰✰✰

With each day, they were becoming more of a company of women who wanted to change the course of war and course of women involved. They were learning to work together as a unit and to function as a whole. Lieutenant Wilson approached Hazel one day as she sat on her bed alone reading. 

" Corporal Parker?" she heard a voice ask and she looked up at him.

" Sir." she said as she slowly stood and saluted him.

" You're training as an experimental sniper, correct?" Wilson asked her.

" Yes, sir." she said with a nod and Wilson smiled.

" Great, follow me." he said and Hazel turned and grabbed her helmet before following Wilson out, giving the women some confused looks as she left. Catherine and Lizzie watched her go in confusion, but earnestly awaited her return. Maybe she was finally receiving the gun that was so long talked about for her. 

Hazel felt the wind knock out of her when the Sergeant who ran the weapon distribution, turned around with a huge rifle in his arms. Wilson had sent her to the depot, telling her that he would meet her at the rifle range. The Sergeant, under the name Goode, looked at her and then sighed.

" This here is the M1903A4 Springfield, formally the United States Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903. It comes with a five-round magazine fed and it's a bolt-action rifle. You can an average of 10-15 rounds per minute and you can shoot up to 1,100 yards for effectiveness and 5,500 yard for your max. It can have a bayonet attachment on the front, but with you being considered a sniper at the moment, you're best bet will be a scope attachment, specially crafted. Now, usually the Marine Corps are the ones that use this weapon, but Sink got it approved for you. Now it is mighty close to the M1903A3, which is standard for the Marines, but what have you been firing with?" he asked her.

" The M-1." she answered.

" Right, well, this will benefit you more in the long run as a form of a sniper rifle. M1903A3's were made initially at the start, but transformed into M1903A4's for a form of a sniper rifle in your case. Now, the Army, we don't have traditional sniper rifle's, but by attaching this here scope, a Weaver Model 330C, will give you 2.75x telescopic sight. Now, you're really the first one in the Army to be using this sort of thing, but it's more of a test run to see how it works. It's not officially adopted yet, but it's the best we've got for your position and Sink, from the 506th, wants it to work in your favor." the Sergeant explained to her.

" Yes, sir." she answered. The weapon was a brownish, tan colored weapon and the scope was attached on the Redfield mount, so it could be removed and attached again for cleaning by the looks of it. However, when the Sergeant threw it into her arms, it knocked the wind out of her as she struggled to hold it upright.